The 20th day of Operation Protective Edge began with a heavy barrage of rockets on cities and towns in southern and central Israel, several hours after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government declared the extension of the humanitarian ceasefire. At around 10 pm, the IDF decided to respond to the incessant rocketfire from Gaza.

Netanyahu had extended Saturday's ceasefire until midnight Sunday, despite the renewal of rocket fire by Hamas, which claimed the life of an Israeli.

The IDF has cleared for publication the name of Sgt. First Class (res.) Barak Refael Degorker, a 27-year-old from the town of Gan Yavne, as the soldier who was killed Saturday night by a mortar shell near the Gaza Strip border.

On Saturday, Israel agreed to extend a 12-hour ceasefire by four hours until midnight Saturday, even though Hamas and the Islamic Jihad refused to do so, firing rockets at Israel. Israeli tank fire killed a man in the southern Gaza Strip, a local official said.

United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Robert H. Serry called Israel and Hamas to agree to extend the ceasefire by 24 hours, and this was the offer the cabinet accepted.